The present invention relates to a consumable heat retention shield for use in conserving the heat of the refractory lining of a hot metal transfer car.
Hot metal transfer cars, sometimes called torpedo cars, are large vessels used in metallurgical processing to transfer molten metal between stations in a steel mill, for example transferring molten metal from a blast furnace to a BOF processing station. The cars are elongated vessels, rotatably supported on wheels, which have steel plate bodies lined interiorly with refractory brick material. The vessels have a mouth for charging and discharging metal which is generally upright to receive molten metal and relatively horizontally and slightly downwardly directed for pouring of metal therefrom.
When used between a blast furnace and a BOF station, molten metal is charged to the vessel from the blast furnace and the vessel travels to the BOF station for discharge of the metal. After the metal is discharged from the vessel, the empty car is returned to the blast furnace area for re-use.
With the ever rising costs of energy, it is imperative in steel making operations to retain heat of a melt, wherever possible, so as to reduce energy consumption. With torpedo cars, for example, the heat of molten metal is transferred to the refractory lining of the car. Upon discharge of the hot metal, that has been received from a blast furnace, the heat of the refractory lining of the hot metal car is slowly dissipated through the open mouth of the vessel with resultant cooling of the refractory during the wait for recharging of the vessel. When a fresh supply of molten metal is charged to the vessel, heat from the metal is again lost to the refractory.
It has been known to use a form of shield to cover such an opening, such as a screen-enclosed refractory containing sheet which can be suspended from supports, such as hooks, affixed to the metal shell of the hot metal car. Such devices, however, require the use of lifting devices and delicate positioning of the sheet in order to fit the same into position.
The present invention provides a consumable heat retention device for retaining the heat of the refractories of a hot metal car which is easily produced and readily positioned by workmen, without the need for heavy lifting equipment, and is consumable such that the same need not be removed from the hot metal car prior to pouring of metal thereto.